SHARON, PA. Bridge reports fail to satisfy

The contractor didn't provide enough technical details to satisfy county and state officials. By HAROLD GWIN VINDICATOR SHARON BUREAU SHARON, Pa. -- Mercer County's bridge engineer said a report from the contractor building the Oakland Avenue Viaduct didn't provide enough information to determine the long-term viability of the structure. Mark Miller said the county and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation will be sending Carmen Paliotta Contracting of Library, Pa., another list of questions to be answered. The questions will be sent Tuesday and the county will push for a quick reply, but there is no specific time limit, Miller said. The county halted work on the 30-foot span over the Shenango Valley Freeway in early December because the steel frame was out of alignment as much as 3 inches, causing the bridge to have a slight "S" shape. Carmen Paliotta was hired at $3.6 million to tear down the old bridge and put up the new one and was about to pour the concrete deck when the problem was found. Engineering reports The county and the state have been trying to determine how the misalignment will affect the structural integrity and safety of the bridge and have asked the contractor for several engineering reports on the project. The reports have not been satisfactory, Miller said. The county and the state have reviewed the latest report, in which the contractor says the misalignment will cause no problem, and found the report to be lacking in specific technical details needed to assess the bridge, Miller said.